


Regrets

by Linger1536



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: first gen, second gen, thrid gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:59:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8568712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linger1536/pseuds/Linger1536
Summary: A series of one shots about the Potters encountering the Dursleys, mostly focusing on Petunia.Whilst in London Petunia Dursley encounters a pregnant woman and her two year old son James."That's your sister?" she heard James ask Lily incredulously. "Snobby little thing," said Sirius.“What was written on that napkin you got?”Louis stopped and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. “Dunno,” he said, tossing it to James. “Do me a favour and throw it in that bin over there.”But James wasn't listening instead he stared down at the paper with his mouth agape. “No way!” he breathed excitedly.“What? What is it?” Ivy asked as she tried to catch a glimpse of it.James chuckled. “Oh, this is gold!”“Let me see!” demanded Lily.James handed her the napkin and they all watched as her eyes widened with disbelief. “No!”





	1. Babies and Beetles

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!

“Stupid!” Ginny Potter grumbled to herself as she hoisted her two year old son James higher up onto her hip. “We are never taking directions from you dad again,” she told him as he stared up at her with big brown eyes, that happened to be the same shade as hers.

Ginny's feet ached and her lower back throbbed painfully from having been walking for so long without having a rest, which she should have had since she was heavily pregnant with her second child. It wasn't her fault though that her body ached, no it was entirely her husband's fault. If Harry had only given her simpler directions she would already be at the damned restaurant.

“How hard can it be to find a bloody restaurant?” Ginny asked herself as she took a left turn and began walking down a crowded street.

James giggled at her frazzled state before reaching out with a chubby hand, grabbing onto a piece of his mother's red hair which he then proceeded to tug at. “Mama.” His eyes sparkled in the sunlight as he gave her a smile. Ginny knew that smile well, it was the smile she had seen Fred and George give each other a thousand times just as they were about to prank someone.

She smiled down at her son, gently removing her hair from his grasp. “Don't even think about it, buddy.”

Ginny spotted an unoccupied bench and sighed with relief. She could understand why Harry had wanted for them to go out and eat in muggle London instead of Diagon Alley and Hogsmead but she couldn't help but to wish that they had just gone for dinner at one of those places instead even though they would be hounded by reporters. The first time Ginny had been pregnant the reporters had been relentless, following her every move in hope of publishing an article about Harry Potter's unborn child. Ginny had hoped that this time around they wouldn't be as interested but unfortunately they were. Just this morning she had read an article about how she was expecting twin girls and one thing she was certain of was that she was only having one baby, not two or more as some seemed to hope for. Luckily for Ginny she was no the only pregnant woman the press was hounding. The interest in Hermione's pregnancy was just as great. Both women would complain and sulk about the idiotic reporters to each other as they drowned their sorrows in ice cream.

“Mama,” Jame's voice pulled her out of her musings. He let out small noises of displeasure as he squirmed in her arms, reaching towards the ground with open arms. Ginny let him down but kept a watchful eye on him as he played with a beetle he had found.

The bench creaked as a blonde woman who must have been in her late forties sad down on it next to Ginny, who turned and gave the woman a friendly smile.

“Hello,” she said, pushing a few strands of red hair behind her ear.

The woman looked up from what Ginny knew to be a mobile phone to give her a strained smile. “Hello,” she replied curtly.

Not one to be put off Ginny ignored the woman's obvious displeasure of talking to her. “I'm sorry to bother you,” she gave the woman a brilliant smile, “but I am afraid I'm lost... I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a restaurant I've been looking for?”

This seemed to spark some of the woman's interest. “What is the name of this restaurant?” she asked, moving slightly closer to Ginny.

Ginny opened her mouth about to reply but she drew up blank. “I'm sorry,” she said, smiling apologetically. “I've forgotten. My husband seems to be able to do anything but give directions and I have been so focused on everything else going on that I have forgotten the name.”

“Oh,” that is quite all right,” said the woman, giving Ginny a small smile that did not quite reach her blue eyes as she studied Ginny with what seemed to be a tinge of unease. “Would you like to borrow my phone so that you can ring your husband?”

Ginny scratched the back of her head, feeling embarassed. “Err...” How did you explain to a muggle that you didn't know how to use a phone or that she would not be able to reach Harry by using it?

Luckily for Ginny her son saved her from further explanation.

“James Potter!” She exclaimed, getting onto her feet to pick up her son who had fallen onto his bum as he had tried to step on the beetle he apparently had grown bored off. “We do _not_ kill bugs,” she told him sternly, “not even spiders, no matter what Uncle Ron says.” She returned to the bench with a laughing James in her arms, who was not at all bothered by her outburst.

The woman had grown pale as Ginny sat back down next to her, and her fingers trembled around the hold of her phone as she stared wide eyed at James. “W-what did you say your name was?” she whispered.

“Oh, I'm sorry I didn't,” Ginny began to say. “I'm-”

“Ginny!”

Ginny spun around at the sound of her husband's voice. Harry Potter was no longer the lanky seventeen year old he had once been. The messy black hair remained but his emerald green eyes shone with a joy that had not existed when he was younger.

“Dada!” James cried happily as he spotted his father.

Ginny gave the woman a relieved smile. “Thank you for your help.” She stood up and went to join her husband.

Petunia Dursley watched with mesmerized eyes as the couple greeted each other. The woman; Ginny was shaking her head at something Harry was saying but she wasn't able to keep a smile off of her face. Harry grabbed the child, _his child_ and swung him around in the air, laughing as the boy let out shouts of joy. Petunia had not seen her nephew for years and she was too ashamed to greet him. Ever since that fateful day, when they had been forced to leave their home seven years ago, she had not been able to stop thinking about him. She had known that something horrendous was about to happen and that he had been in the middle of it and that there had been a possibility of him dying, yet she had not been able to beg him for his forgiveness, now she was glad for it since she did not deserve it, not after what she had put him through.

She watched as Ginny pointed in her direction and quickly turned her head, afraid that Harry would recognize her but in the end she was just an elderly woman sitting on a cold bench, tapping away at her phone.

 


	2. Lilies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in no way connected to chapter one.

The days nearing Christmas were always a rush and normally Petunia Dursley relished in it, taking pleasure in preparing elaborate meals and hosting grand dinner parties but this Christmas, or rather that particular day had left her in a frazzled state. Instead of standing in her kitchen preparing the final touches to Dudley and his fiancee Anne's engangment dinner she was at King's Cross waiting to pick up said couple. Vernon had promised to do it but he had been delayed at work which was why the long prepared dinner was currently growing cold in an empty kitchen.

“We had a fabulous trip, Mum,” said Dudley, answering Petuinia's earlier question, as he wrapped an arm around Anne's thin waist, pulling her closer to him as if she were a precious treasure which Petunia could assure everyone she was not.

If it weren't for the happiness Anne brought Dudley Petunia would never tolerate her. Anne was a woman that only cared of her own happiness and Petunia had a nagging suspicion that Anne was only with Dudley because he would be taking over Vernon's work at Grunnings. In some ways Petunia supposed Anne reminded her of herself which was why she detested her so much because she caused Petunia's own regrets to surface.

“That's good Dudley,” she said absent-mindedly before she came to a sudden halt.

“Mum, what is it?”

Petunia shook her head, attempting to rid herself of what she thought she had heard.

“Lily!”

There it was again and this time she was certain she had not imagined it. Even to this day the name caused her pain and although she was ashamed to admit it, it stirred up feelings which she had kept buried deep inside, they swirled around inside of her; anger, jealousy and despair. She knew that this Lily had no connection to her dead sister but a twinge of foolish hope made her heart jump in her chest.

“Mum?” Dudley's concerned face came into view. “Are you all right?”

She was about to answer that she was perfectly all right when a flash of red caught her eye. A girl no older than four was running through the crowd of people causing the end of her white coat to fly around her slightly chubby legs. She was giggling as she peered over her shoulder.

“You can't catch me!” she shouted in a sing-song voice as she continued to dodge around peoples legs.

Petunia's eyes widened with shock as she watched the child. She had wished to see her sister in front of her but this was not possible! Lily was dead and she had been for almost thirty years. Petunia shook her head trying to rid herself of the vision but the girl did not vanish instead her eyes locked with Petunia's pale blue ones momentarily and that was when Petunia understood that it could not be Lily for the girl's eyes were a light shade of brown.

“Lily stop!” A boy with messy dark hair and the same eyes as the little girl shouted before tackling her, wrapping his arms around her waist causing the both of them to topple onto the floor.

“James!” the girl whined as the boy, who couldn't be much older than six or seven, helped her up.

Petunia could not move, all she could do was stare at the children shell shocked.

“There you are!” exclaimed a turquoise haired boy as he ran up to the two children. “Lily you know you're not allowed to run off on your own,” he scolded the young girl.

“Teddy!” she laughed happily, throwing her arms around his leg, hugging it. “I'm fast,” she declared proudly.

Teddy sighed and gently removed her arms from around his leg before bending down next to her. “Yes, Lils. We noticed that but that doesn't mean that you can just run off,” he told her. “Your mum and dad are very worried about you. You're too young to wander off on your own.”

Lily's red hair flew around her face as she shook her head at him. “No. I am almost your age,” she said in a determined voice which caused the boy who had tackled her to laugh.

“No, you're not Lily. Teddy is fourteen and you are four,” he stopped talking and began counting on his fingers. “That's ten years apart right?” he asked Teddy.

Teddy smiled down at him and ruffled his hair as he got back onto his feet. “Yeah, that's right James.”

“Mum, what are you looking at?” Dudley asked as he moved closer to his mother.

Petunia could not find her voice so she merely nodded her head in the direction of the three children.

Dudley followed her gaze. “I don't understand...”

Petunia parted her suddenly dry lips about to explain but no sound came out as her gaze fell on another boy with jet black hair and almond green eyes that looked exactly like those of her sister and nephew. This boy could not be much older than Lily. His emerald eyes lit up as he spotted the other children and he made an attempt of dashing over to them but he was stopped by a firm grip on his hand.

“Mummy, let go!” he complained as he tried to twist out of his mother's hold.

“Albus,” the woman warned as the boy made another attempt.

Petunia removed her stunned gaze from the boy to look at the woman. She had long fiery red hair and light brown eyes that were the same shade as James's and Lily's eyes. She wore a worried expression on her face until she spotted the other three children. “Lily! James!” she cried out.

Both children turned around at the sound of her voice. “Mama!” they exclaimed in unison before running over to her.

The woman released her grip on Albus hand but made sure that he stayed next to her as she hugged her other children. “Lily,” she said sternly as she focused her attention on her daughter, “you know you are not allowed to go off on your own. Your dad and I were very worried about you.”

Lily looked down at her red shoes in shame. “I'm sorry,” she whispered.

The woman's eyes softened. “It's okay, sweetheart,” she told her, stroking her daughter's hair, “but you have to promise me to never do that again”

Lily nodded eagerly. “I promise.”

“Good,” said her mother. “I'm just glad that Teddy and James managed to find you before you got into too much trouble.”

“Mum, don't you think... those two boys look a lot like... Harry?” asked Dudley, who had been watching the scene in front of them as well. “Especially the younger one. Look at those eyes!”

“Yes,” whispered Petunia hoarsely.

It was around then that a tall man with messy raven hair rushed past them. “Lily,” he breathed. “Don't ever do that again!” he said in a voice that was vaguely familiar to both Petunia and Dudley's ears.

The girl in question looked up at him with big doe like eyes. “I'm sorry, daddy.” She held out her arms, silently asking for him to pick her up which he did with ease.

“I suppose this is a good way as any to begin the holidays,” he chuckled. “Don't you think so Teddy?” he asked, resting his eyes on the turquoise haired boy.

The boy grinned an impish grin. “You said it Harry.”

Dudley nearly choked on his own spit. “H-harry?” he stammered, astonished.

Harry turned around at his name being called but the easy going smile that had been grazing his face faded away as his eyes settled on them. “Hello,” he said in a strained voice, and his hold on his daughter tightened unconsciously.

Petunia could not help but to marvel at the sight in front of her; gone was the scrawny, unruly haired boy she had known and in his place stood a tall and strong man.

“Do you know these people?” asked the woman who Petunia could only assume was his wife.

“Yes,” answered Harry as he allowed his gaze to wander over to Petunia who could not help but to feel scrutinised. “Ginny, this is my cousin Dudley and Aunt Petunia.” He gestured at them with his free hand.

As soon as their names left his mouth Ginny's eyes narrowed into tiny slits that flashed with anger. “Oh, really?” she asked through gritted teeth. Petunia understood at once that Ginny knew of what had transpired between the Dursleys and Harry, and that Ginny despised them for it.

“Err...” said Dudley, scratching his chin awkwardly, “how have you been?”

“Dandy,” replied Harry scathingly before nodding at Anne. “Who's your friend?”

“Oh,” said Dudley, wrapping an arm around Anne's scrawny shoulders, “this is my fiancée Anne.” He brushed away a brown lock of her hair. “Anne, this is my cousin Harry Potter.”

Anne looked Harry up and down before giving him a tight-lipped smile. “Hello.”

Harry was not paying her much attention instead his green eyes were staring into Petunia's blue ones. “You're awfully quiet,” he noted. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“I- I.... I...” Petunia stuttered as her eyes went to the child in Harry's arms. “She... she looks like Lily.”

“That's because she is Lily,” James told the strange woman.

“Yeah,” the youngest boy agreed, staring up at her with the same eyes as his father.

Harry's gaze softened slightly as he regarded his aunt. “I know,” he told her, “but she is not her.”

Petunia nodded. “Of course not.” It had been silly of her to think that this child was anything like her sister. She might have some of Lily's traits but other than that there was nothing that connected them in the same way.

“Harry, we should get going,” said Ginny, who had not stopped glaring at Petunia and Dudley.

Harry nodded in agreement. “Yes, we don't want to be late for dinner at the Burrow.” He turned towards the two older boys. “I heard that Ron got those brooms you were taking about.” Both boys lets shouts of happiness, ignoring they bemused glance the received from Anne.

“Can we go now?” James asked eagerly. “Please, Mama, I wanna fly!”

Ginny smiled and ran a hand through his messy hair. “Yes, but you have to promise me that you won't fly too high.”

“But Mum!” James began to protest but one warning glare silenced him quickly. “Yes, I promise,” he told her, grabbing hold of her hand and began pulling her towards the exit with Teddy following behind them with Albus, leaving Harry and Lily alone with the Dursleys.

“It was nice...” Harry began to say but then trailed off. “Take care,” he told them instead before he too began to walk away but Petunia's voice stopped him.

“I'm sorry,” she said and it took much for her to admit to it but she could not let him go without saying it first.

Harry turned around and gave her a small smile that did noting to ease her guilt. Lily twisted around in his arms as he began to walk away and her brown eyes locked with Petunia's.

“Bye, Tuney!” She did not smile or wave, it was as if she understood that Petunia had done something terrible to her father, but those two words warmed Petunia's heart, filling her with unexplainable joy and later regret.

 

 


	3. Remorse

There was that one time when the Dursleys had newly arrived back home to Privet Drive when Petunia had found a newspaper lying amongst the mail on the doormat, collecting dust. With a distasteful sneer she had leaned down with the intention of throwing it into the bin but when her eyes had caught the movements of the photographs those intentions had stalled. It was one _theirs_ , from the time they had been away.

 

“ _HARRY POTTER DEAD!”_

 

Petunia's throat had constricted and she clawed at her chest as a heaviness settled there, sending shivers down her spine. She had slipped onto the floor and with shaking hands she had opened the newspaper. She had sat there for minutes with a lump forming in her throat as she read about how _muggles_ were to be exterminated and that those who dared to stand with them would receive the same fate. It was then that Petunia had begun to have the smallest of inklings of what her nephew had done.

Not long after that she had torn up his old room in hope of finding another newspaper and when she did find a few she had gathered them all into her arms, dumping them onto the dining table where she had pored over them. For the first time she was able to understand the true sacrifices her sister and brother in law had made. She had realised what danger they had all been it had been enough to leave her an ashen, shaking mess filled with remorse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clear any confusion, Harry is not dead. The article was written when Voldemort had taken over the Ministry of Magic and was a lie to create despair.


	4. Ghosts of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not connected to the first three but it is connected with the upcoming chapter.

"Oi!"

The two bodies tumbled onto the floor with a loud crash, knocking the wind out of the both of them.

Petunia gaped up at the young man who was currently on top of her.

Hazel eyes flashed with amusement as the guy ran a hand through his messy raven hair. "Terribly sorry 'bout that." He got back onto his feet and extended a calloused hand for her to take.

Petunia let her thin hand rest in his and he gave her a loopsided smile before pulling her back ontoo her feet. A small frown appeared between Petunia's eyebrows as she stared up at him, there was something about the way he moved with such ease and confidence that drew her in, and then a flush began to spread out across her cheeks as she realised he reminded her of her first crush, that she had had at the age of twelve.

"It is perfectly alright," she managed to say.

He flashed her a smile. "Excellent!" His eyes passed over Petunia's face one more time before they settled on something behind her. "Oi, Padfoot!" He called to a stunning teen whit chiseled features and chin-length wavy black hair that complimented his unusual grey eyes. "That's cheating!"

It was only then that Petunia noticed that the other boy – Padfoot – was standing on his trolley and came to the conclusion that the boy next to her had toppled into her because he had fallen off his own trolley as it had crashed onto the floor.

Padfoot laughed gleefully. "I won fair and square, Prongs! There was not rule about tackling..."

Petunia frowned at their odd names as she watched Prongs roll his eyes at his friend before he returned his attention back to her. "Ignore him, he whispered in a voice that was loud enough for the other boy to hear. "We both know that I should have won."

Petunia blinked up at him, who was he? "Right..." she stammered, amazed by his casualness to the whole ordeal.

"I'm James by the way." He extended his hand for her to shake which she did.

"Petunia."

"Petunia," he repeated and the gold in his eyes sparkled. "I like flower names."

The other boy barked a laugh that sounded very much like a dog's. "Stop flirting, Prongs!"

Petunia felt another flush heat up her neck and cheeks. "Thank you."

James's mouth twitched at the sight of it. "So what brings you here?" he asked, gesturing widely at their surroundings of King's Cross.

Petunia's smile faltered at the reminder of why she was there. "Oh... I'm dropping off my sister for school."

James took notice of the disdain on her face and gave her an easygoing smile. "Nasty pain I suppose," he said. "I don't have any, siblings that is." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the dark haired boy, who had propped his chin in the palm of his hand as he leaned against his trolley, watching their exchange with bored amusement. "Except for him. We sort of adopted each other."

Petunia let out a shrill laugh. "Well at least you had the option of choosing."

"Yes," James agreed, "that is a perk." Petunia knew that he was taunting her a tad but she could not help but to be entertained by it.

He ruffled a hand through his hair again which made it stand up in all directions and Petunia had to fight against the urge to reach out and smooth it down into a proper hairstyle.

"Well-" he began to say but he was interrupted by a voice from behind him.

"Potter?"

Petunia watched as his carefree smile morphed into a nervous one, and how his back stiffened before he turned around towards the voice. "Evans!" He exclaimed, as he once again ran a hand through his hair. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Petunia's sister rolled her pretty green eyes at him as she steered her trolley up to them. Lily frowned down at James's trolley which laid discarded on the ground.

"What happened?" She asked with a smile pulling at her lips. "No wait, don't tell me... you and Sirius had another race."

James laughed and that was when Petunia _knew_. He was one of them, a _freak_. The smile which had been gracing Petunia's features turned into a sneer of disgust as she regarded James with a new perspective.

"-one I was winning if it hadn't been for Padfoot cheating." Petunia caught the end of their conversation.

Padfoot or Sirius came gliding up to them on his trolley. "Now, Evans," he said as he jumped off of it and landed next to them, throwing an arm around James's shoulders, "you don't believe that."

Lily laughed and tossed her straight auburn over her shoulders. "Now, Sirius," she said sweetly, "I'm clever enough not to believe either of you." She glanced nervously at Petunia and her emerald eyes flashed with concern. "Tuney..." she reached out for her but Petunia brushed her hand away with a look of disgust before storming away from them.

"That's you sister"? She heard James ask Lily incredulously.

"Snobby little thing," said Sirius.

Petunia ignored them and kept her gaze firmly set on the exit. She ignored Lily's heartfelt plea for her to stay. Freaks, that what they were. Disgusting little _freaks_.


	5. Ghosts of the Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is connected with the previous one.

"One, two, three, GO!"

Petunia Dursley wrinkled her nose in annoyance at the loud voices. She had had a rather stressful morning which hadn't been mad any less stressful by being at King's Cross at the first of September. Memories of a cheerful green eyed and auburn hair flashed before her eyes and she had to shake her head in an attempt to rid herself of them.

She quickened her pace and rounded a corner, hurrying to meet Vernon's train when she stopped dead in her tracks. There it was... Platform 9 ¾, a place she had tried her hardest to erase from her memory. Petunia's pale blue eyes fluttered close as memories of a raven haired boy with sad emerald eyes entered her mind.

"Oi! Watch out!"

Petunia did not even have time to open her eyes before she felt someone slam into her which propelled them both onto the hard concrete floor. Her breath left her in a "whoosh" as the person landed on top of her, making her bones which was frail with age ache.

"Terribly sorry, Ma'am!" a voice exclaimed from somewhere above her.

Petunia grimaced as she opened her eyes, about to give the person a piece of her mind but when her eyes settled on the young boy on top of her all sense of speech left her.

Light brown eyes full of mirth sparkled down at her from behind a few dark locks of unruly raven hair.

_Hazel eyes flashed with amusement as the guy ran a hand through his messy raven hair. "Terribly sorry 'bout that."_

"Nice one, James!" someone laughed.

" _I'm James by the way."_

They boy rolled his eyes in the direction of the voice before getting back onto his feet with grace. He extended his hand to Petunia but she simply stared at it with her mouth slightly agape.

"Should I get help?" he asked, growing concerned.

More strands of grey hair managed to become undone from its bun as Petunia shook her head before reaching out with a trembling hand, placing it in his. He pulled her up onto her feet and looked her over with _those eyes_ for any damage.

"Are you all right?"

"I-I-I'm fine."

"Brilliant!" He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "I'm so sorry, you see we were racing and well-" he turned suddenly as if remembering something. "Oi, Weasley!" He shouted at a boy who was around his age- maybe fifteen or sixteen. "That's a foul!"

The boy had his arms braced against his knees as he kneeled over, looking at the two of them with eyes that were filled with mirth. A few strands of light brown hair feel into his eyes, contrasting against his darker skin as he sniggered. "Merlin's beard, James!" he wheezed, trying and failing to get his laughter under control. "You should have seen the look on your face!" He burst into fresh peels of laughter and doubled over, holding on to his side.

James shook his head at the boy's antics. "Wanker."

"I'm really the winner," James told Petunia and all she could do was gape at him as cold shivers rand down her spine. "Sometimes I let him win, you see. It's good for his ego."

_"We both know I should have won."_

An uneasy feeling of dread settled in Petunia's stomach, hadn't the name of her nephew's friend been Weasley? She had a vague memory the peculiar man that had destroyed her fireplace mentioning the name. Then there was James... he had knelt down and was flipping his trolley upright, flashing her a grin before he glided away on it towards his friend. It was eerie how much he resembled her sister's husband...

The boys were laughing at each other as they smashed their trolleys against one another. Petunia watched as they kicked down one foot each, about to push off when...

"Wait!"

Both boys turned to stare at her curiously. Petunia's hand slowly drifted to her mouth as if to reassure herself that it was she who had spoken. "What are your names?"

They threw each other amused glances as if this was a question they were not used to. "He's Fred Weasley," said James, pointing his thumb at the other boy.

"And that's," Fred began in mock awe, "James Sirius Potter!"

Petunia's hands trembled and her body swayed as the reality of the situation sank in. They were like _them_ and James... he was Harry's.

"Petunia?"

She felt a strong hand close around her fail upper arm. "Are you not well, dear? You look rather pale."

Petunia glanced up at the sound of her husband's gruff voice, and silently shook her head at him causing his beady blue eyes to flash with slight concern. "We better get going then," he decided. "The train ride was awful. This presumptuous woman allowed her children to act like hooligans, it makes my head ache just to think about it," with that said he began to steer her towards the exit.

Petunia peered over her shoulder to find James staring at her husband with something akin to disgust she had seen on Lily's face. When he saw her looking he gave her a small smile and shouted:

"Flower names run in my family!"


	6. Mars Bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is only connected to the upcoming chapter.
> 
> I also want to point out that this story completely disregards The Cursed Child. I haven't read the play and I never plan on doing so.

“Nah, I'm telling you right now Lils that Dad wouldn't want one of those... those-things!” A nineteen year old James Potter exclaimed with a look of disgust on his face.

A pretty red haired girl about a head shorter than James, rolled her brown eyes at his antics. “Have you actually tried one before?”

James wrinkled his nose with disdain as he inspected the sweet his sister was holding out to him. “No.”

Lily let out a light laugh before tossing her long hair over her shoulders, where it fell against the back of her white jacket. “Well then how would you know if you like one or not?”

James pointed a finger at the sweet in question and gave his sister a baffled expression. “For starters it's called a Mars Bar- Mars Bar, who comes up with that? The centaurs would have their tails in knots if they found out.”

Lily shrugged her shoulders. “Muggles.”

A muffled noise came from somewhere behind a shelf which had both siblings turning their head at the sound of it but they saw nothing.

“You know,” said James as he glanced around the shop, “they have the weirdest things.”

“James!” chided Lily although it her lips twitched with amusement. “Our grandmother was a muggle-born.”

James shrugged his shoulders and tossed a couple of Mars Bars into the basket Lily was carrying. “Was there anything else we needed?”

A crease appeared between Lily's eyebrows as she looked at the rows of sweets she wasn't familiar with. “Did Dad mention any other sort he liked?”

James shook his head. “I dunno. They wouldn't let him have any, remember?” His face darkened and he murmured some rather rude words underneath his breath.

Lily's eyes lit up. “We should get him one of each!”

A grin spread out across James's face as his eyes – which were the same shade of light brown as his sister's – lit up with excitement. “Brilliant!”

A couple of minutes later the basket was filled with all kinds of sweets and the two siblings were sporting equivalent grins as they strode up to the cashier who was a bored looking guy, around James's age, with a face full of pimples. He raised a dark eyebrow at their purchase but he did not comment on it instead he told them the price.

“A pound is the one with...” Lily mumbled to herself as she stared down at the coins in her palm, shovelling them around.

James peered over her shoulder and reached around her, gathering what he assumed was the right amount of money before handing it to the bored guy.

They bagged the sweets and headed for the exit, neither of them noticing the intent stare of an elderly woman following them from the queue, perhaps it was because the siblings had grown so accustomed to people staring at them wherever they went.

“You know,” Lily mused as she came to a halt outside Tescos, peering down into the bag of sweets, “we could enchant some of these and try them out on the cousins.”

James eyes sparkled with mischief as he let out a delighted laugh. “We should! They'd never expect anything when it's muggle sweets.”

Lily smirked at her brother. “Sort of like that time Fred and I had you try a Love Cupcake.”

James's smile faltered at the memory of the incident that had taken place during his final year at Hogwarts, when he foolishly enough had accepted a cupcake from Lily as the Gryffindors had celebrated winning a quidditch match. He had ended up running around for about three hours spouting ridiculous love poems until the charm wore off.

James glowered as Lily laughed at his expression. “You little Erkling!” he exclaimed, lunging at her. “I still haven't forgiven you for that!”

Lily howled with laughter as James attacked her sides and began tickling her until tears rolled down her cheeks. “Stop!” she gasped, dropping the bag of sweets which caused a Mars Bar to fall out.

James ignored his sister's pleas instead he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder – they way he used to do when she was little – spinning them around. Lily's hair whipped around them, shimmering with different shades of red as it caught the sunlight.

“You're such a baby!” Lily laughed as her brother quickened the pace.

James chuckled in response, preparing to do an even quicker spin but he came to a sudden halt when he happened to glance up to find an elderly woman standing at the entrance of the shop, staring at them with bewildered eyes.

“What are you doing, you big- Oh!” Lily exclaimed as she pushed herself up so that she could peer over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the lady. “Put me down, James.”

James slid her off of his shoulder and she made to pick up the bag of sweets but the woman beat her to it. Lily could see roots of grey in her blond hair and by observing the wrinkles formed on her face she assumed that the lady would be around the same age as her grandmother if she had lived.

The woman straightened and handed Lily the bag but she stalled when glanced down at the Mars Bar. Her bony fingers closed around it and her eyes fluttered closed, obscuring the flash of emotion in them.

James took a step forward, giving Lily a confused glance as he did so to which she responded with one of her own. “Is everything all right?”

“Huh?” the woman mumbled as she stared down at the Mars Bar with solemn eyes.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, yes, quite all right,” she replied, but James remained unconvinced.

The woman's thin and carefully sculpted eyebrows came together in a frown as she looked up at James with... penitence. James, baffled by her odd behaviour turned his head slowly in Lily's direction, raising one eyebrow, silently asking: “What's with this nutter?”

Lily's head was cocked to the side as she regarded the woman curiously, taking notice of how she still held the sweet tightly in her hand. “Would you like to have it?”

“P-pardon?” the woman gaped at her with puzzled eyes.

Lily took a small step forwards so that she came to stand next to James, discreetly pinching his arm – a silent from of communication she, Albus and James had developed when situations such as these would become something they wanted to escape – before giving the woman a strained smile.

“You can keep it if you like.” She gestured at the sweet.

The woman glanced back down at it. “Oh,” she whispered. “No, no thank you.”

Lily took notice of how the woman's hand shook with slight tremors as she handed Lily the Mars Bar. James who had noticed it as well threw an arm casually around Lily's shoulders while ruffling his unruly hair with his other hand – a gesture which seemed casual but to those who knew him it was a nervous one.

“Well,” he began, “we should get going, right Lils?”

Lily nodded but kept her eyes on the woman. “Right... we don't want to be late for the party,” she said, referring to their dad's birthday party. “I'm sure Al has already gotten the other gifts.”

James gave the woman an uncertain nod before turning around, leading Lily around the corner of the shop which led to an back ally where they would be able to apparate unnoticed. Lily peeked around the corner only to find the woman standing where they had left her, staring after them.

“Odd,” she mumbled.

James nodded in agreement, grabbing hold of Lily's arm. “All that for one of those Mars Bars.”

 


	7. Deep Fired Mars Bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chaper is only connected to chapter 6
> 
> Backstory: I lived in Edinburgh for two months last year and that's when I encountered a deep fired Mars Bar which I of course deemed disgusting and promptly refused to try despite my friends urging me to. A few weeks ago when I was back there a couple of things happened which ended up with me trying one, and that of course inspired me to write this. Enjoy!

James Potter was having a jolly good time, even though he would not remember much of it the coming day. He along with his siblings and cousin Louis had decided to escape London and its scrutiny for the weekend which was why they were currently seated in a ghost pub, located in Edinburgh's Old Town.

“This place is brilliant!” Lily exclaimed as she stared around the room with glossy eyes, taking in the dark stone corridor which was filled with tables shaped like coffins and the sign that told the story of a little girl who was supposed to haunt the pub.

“I knew you would like it,” said James's girlfriend Ivy in a smug Scottish accent.

“Of course she does,” Albus told her before tipping his glass back to take a sip of his drink. “Lily loves these kind of things.”

Lily paid him no mind instead she spun around in her seat so that she could get a better view of the room.

“Which is strange,” noted Louis, “considering that Lily grew up as a witch.”

Lily rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention to her brother's girlfriend – who was seated opposite her and said brother – with a wicked gleam in her eye. “Say Ivy, did you know that James has never tried a deep fried Mars Bar?”

Ivy's blue eyes widened over the rim of her Strongbow glass. “W-what?” she sputtered, attempting to swallow the liquid.

Albus who was seated next to the short brunette turned to her and grinned. “You should have heard him complain about it when they got some for Dad's birthday.” He looked at James with taunting green eyes. “What was it you said again? Oh right! It was the most disgusting thing ever.”

“James!” Ivy admonished, her eyes were wide with disbelief as she slammed her glass down slightly too hard on the table.

James who was shooting his brother a withering look, grimaced at his girlfriend's tone but he curled his lips into a smirk as he stared at her across the table. “The thing is, Darling-”

“The funny thing is that he actually never tried one,” said Louis, shaking his head which caused a few strands of shimmering blond hair to fall into his cerulean eyes, and a loud sigh could be heard from the booth opposite theirs where a couple of girls was staring longingly at him.

“I quite liked them,” Lily told them as she leaned back in her seat, enjoying how flustered her brother had become.

“Of course you did!” said Ivy. “Everyone loves them.” She quieted down and tapped her fingers against her glass while biting down on her lower lip, which had her boyfriend attempting to shrink back down in his seat. He knew that look... and it did not bode well.

Ivy's long hair cascaded down her back in a slightly tangled mess as she cocked her head to the side. “Louis, you've never been here before either,” she said, ignoring the confused glance Lily shot her.

Louis brought a cigarette to his mouth and leaned in closer over the table, rolling it between his lips. “Nope.”

Ivy's plump red lips twitched as she brought out her lighter and lit it for him. “Then you and Lily need a tour,” she told him, gesturing widely at their surroundings.

She got up, paying no mind to the suspicious look her boyfriend shot her and the slightly disappointed one she received from his sister.

Louis scooted out of the booth and turned to her with a charming smile. “Lead the way.”

“Right, c'mon Lily!” Ivy turned towards the doorway which led into the candle lit corridor but she stopped before she had gotten too far and turned back around towards the two Potter brothers. “James,” she said, running a hand through his messy curls, “be a darling and get me another drink.”

“Yeah,” Lily chimed in from next to Ivy, “get me one of those... what's it called? Coke and rum, rum and coke? Oh, you know what I mean!”

“You still owe me money, Lily!” James hollered after her as she and Louis followed Ivy into the corridor but all he received was a flick of her wrist as she waved him off.

Ivy led Louis and Lily through the corridor, ignoring the scuffling feet and the muffled giggles that followed them as she showed them the adjoined rooms. She veered to the right and brought them down a set of stone steps from which live music could be heard.

“This place is mad!” Louis declared as they swayed to the music and watched the other people in the room dance.

Ivy smirked. “It's right up your alley then?” She peered over her shoulder and saw the four girls - who had been seated in the booth opposite theirs -  coming down the steps, all of whom were staring hungrily at Louis.

“James loves it, especially the part about how it's supposed to be haunted,” she laughed, remembering the many times he had decided to do a little magic to make it seem as if it there really was a ghost. The one time they had decided to use Harry's invisibility cloak at the pub would forever be engraved in her mind.

“I'm not surprised,” Louis told her as he scanned the room, pointedly ignoring the group of girls that were now standing huddled together in a corner close to them, whispering and giggling among themselves.

Both Ivy and Lily looked at them and they quickly quieted down but continued to stare at the two of them, shooting them daggers.

Lily raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at them and leaned in closer to Louis, resting against his side. He wrapped an arm around her waist which had the larger girl out of the group visibly fuming, her chubby cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson which clashed awfully with her baby blonde hair.

Ivy bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing and met the redhead's eye who simply smirked at the older girl.

“There's a cinema as well,” she informed them to which they both raised their eyebrows in surprise. “They mostly show these really lousy films, but hey it's free so you can't really complain.”

She showed them the small cinema which was devoid of any occupants but for a tall guy with orange dreads who was munching on a bag of crisps, and a group in the back which consisted of three people.

“Merlin,” whispered Louis, shaking his head in disbelief. “Grandad would love this!”

“Yeah,” Lily agreed as she peered in through the door, “although he would probably try to pick it apart.”

Ivy laughed and began heading back to the others but she stopped once in the corridor. “So this is the plan-”

“I knew you had a plan!” Lily exclaimed with a broad grin.

Ivy nodded and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “We need to get James pissed, and then I'll suggest to get something to eat which is when we'll get him a deep fried Mars Bar.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Groove around like a scary ghost-”_

“James...”

“ _-spooking himself the most-”_

“Shh!”

“ _-shake your booty like a boggart in pain-”_

“James, c'mon.”

“ _-AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!”_

“James, please shut up!”

They were walking down North Bridge, a light drizzle was falling in the warm summer air as they headed for the New Town. Ivy was struggling to keep her very intoxicated boyfriend under control whilst his younger siblings was walking behind them, not even attempting to muffle their laughter.

“ _Get it on like an angry spectre-”_

“Seriously, James.”

He stopped singing in a split second and turned to her with a cheeky grin. “You got them wrong.”

She blinked up at him confused. “What?” she asked as she wrapped one of her arms more securely around his waist and gripped more tightly at the arm that was slung over her shoulders.

“You,” he said, swaying as he leaned in closer to her, “got it wrong.” He grinned even wider and his brown eyes were filled with amusement. “It's James Sirius, not Sirius James.”

Lily burst out laughing from behind them, meanwhile Ivy couldn't resist but to let out a loud groan.

Louis fell into step with them. He shook his head at his cousin before taking a hold of him, relieving Ivy of his weight, most of which she had been supporting. “C'mon Seriously James.”

Ivy fell back into step with Albus and Lily. “Remind me to never let James drink Tequila again.”

“Duly noted,” said Albus.

“Are you joking?” Lily asked looking from the two of them to her oldest brother, who was now attempting to get Louis to do these goofy side steps down the pavement which was attracting a lot of attention from the other people on the bridge. “It's hilarious!”

Ivy parted her lips about to reply. “I-”

“ _CAN YOU DANCE LIKE A HIPPOGRIFF?”_

“ _MA MA MA MA MA MA MA MAAAAA!”_

 

* * *

 "I'm not doing it!” James declared.

He had frozen immediately once he had realised that he was being dragged towards a dingy restaurant (if you could even call it that) with a bright neon sign that proudly read “DEEP FRIED MARS BAR”

“Stop being such a baby James!” Lily told him as she pushed the door open, escaping the loud noise of the street.

James planted both of his feet promptly onto the stone pavement, refusing to move. Ivy slipped up to him and hooked one arm through his while Louis did the same on the other side. “You're such a drama queen sometimes,” she laughed.

Albus was already standing by the counter when the other three entered, ordering five deep fried Mars Bars.

“Could you throw in a regular one as well?” asked Ivy. “This one,” she said, nodding at James who was refusing to meet the cashier's eyes, “has never had one before.”

The woman - who had looked thoroughly fed up with her job - blinked and her blue eyes were full of surprise as she drew her head back slightly. “You've never had a Mars Bar? _Ever?_ ”

Lily giggled loudly and her brother threw her a nasty look. “Apparently, I've been missing out on something amazing.”

The woman shook her head as she rang up their order, tossing up a regular Mars Bar on the counter that Albus snatched up before they took their seats.

Louis grabbed the sweet and broke it apart into five pieces, handing them out to everyone.

“Cheers!” said Albus, popping it into his mouth.

Lily echoed her brother's sentiments and closed her eyes as she allowed the sweet chocolate to melt on her tongue.

Ivy popped her piece into her mouth and looked at her boyfriend expectantly. “Go one, James.”

James ignored her and pushed the remaining piece of sweet towards Louis, who had already devoured his. “Here you go, mate.”

Louis shook his head. “Nah, I'm good,” he told James as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head.

“James...” Ivy slipped her hand onto his thigh and leaned into him, brushing her lips against his ear while whispering something only he could hear.

James turned his head towards her, his glazed eyes regained some of their focus as he raised one dark eyebrow at her before slipping the sweet into his mouth.

“Whatever that was,” Lily said, wrinkling her nose in disgust, “I don't ever want to know.”

“And you never will,” James told her before grimacing. “That was disgusting by the way,” he nodded at the now empty wrapper.

“Oh come off it!” Ivy exclaimed, smacking his arm.

The cashier cleared her throat and they all looked over to see five boxes containing deep fried Mars Bars and ice cream waiting for them.

“Brilliant,” said Albus as he and Lily got up get them. “Thank you!”

“James,” Ivy began to say in a sickly sweet voice as she dug into her Mars Bar with a spoon, “if you don't like this then I'm afraid we're breaking up.”

Lily who was wolfing hers down, snorted before taking a large bite of her icecream.

James scoffed before tentatively tasting some of his own. Ivy watched as his eyes widened and as he reached forward to take another bite.

“It's not that bad,” he declared which had the whole table erupting into laughter.

“I thought so,” said Ivy smugly.

“It's a lot better than the first one you made me try,” he said around a mouthful.

Albus who had already finished his grinned. “We should get Dad one of these sometime.” He reached out with his own fork towards James's box but James quickly pulled it out of reach.

“Get your own!”

The door bell jingled announcing everyone in the restaurant of the presence of new customers just as James was finishing off what was left of his Mars Bar.

Lily's eyes flickered to the door and once she saw who it was a wicked grin spread out across her face. “Ooh, look who it is,” she whispered, “it's your admirers, Louis!”

Louis did not turn around instead he slumped further down in his chair, pulling out another cigarette from his pocket, along with a blue lighter Ivy had given him for occasions such as these. “Bloody fantastic.”

James swirled around in his chair -  with his spoon still in his mouth as he sucked off the remaining caramel - to stare at the new arrivals. “That blonde one looks like she's about to jump you,” he chortled, referring to the extremely overweight girl, who was staring at Louis through squinted eyes.

“C'mere Lils,” Louis said, reaching out and dragging Lily's chair closer to him so that he could slip an arm over her thin shoulders.

Albus rolled his eyes at his cousin while James and Ivy exchanged a look that had them both averting their eyes to keep from laughing.

“You seriously need to get a girlfriend, man,” Al told Louis who was now toying with a piece of Lily's hair.

Louis shook his head. “Too much work, don't wanna be tied down.”

Lily laughed and turned her face to his but she kept watching the blonde girl from the corner of her eye, waiting for a reaction. “Because this isn't too much work at all.”

Louis grinned at her and leaned in to bump his forehead with hers. “But that's why I've got you.”

There was a loud scoff from behind them and both Louis and Lily chanced a quick peek over James and Ivys' heads and whatever they saw caused both of their eyes to become alight with amusement.

“You guys are so weird sometimes,” Ivy told them as she leaned into James's side, but she couldn't quite keep the laughter out of her voice.

Despite their six years age difference Louis and Lily had always been the closest out of the cousins, followed closely by James and Fred. Normally where one went the other one wouldn't be far behind. They both thrived on causing chaos and equal amounts of drama, which was an endless amusement and more often than not a pain for their family.

“Oh brilliant,” Lily murmured excitedly from the corner of her mouth, “she's coming over!”

James head perked up at this while Albus merely rolled his eyes and slumped back in his seat, simply content with watching everything unfold.

There was a loud noise of someone clearing their throat and both James and Ivy turned to look at the girl, who seemed to be around their age, and who was now staring Louis and Lily with beady blue eyes. She cleared her throat a little louder when neither of them paid her any attention and instead kept staring down at Louis palm on which Lily was tracing patterns on with her fingertips.

“Oh dear, there seems to be a lot of trouble brewing in a near future for you,” said Lily in a soft misty voice that was such a perfect impersonation of Professor Trelawney that it had everyone around the table, with the exception of Louis, shaking with silent laughter.

“See this line here,” Lily continued in the same misty voice, following a line across Louis's palm, “it-”

She was interrupted by a loud snort coming from the blonde girl who was now glaring quite obviously at her.

Lily stopped her movements and looked up at the fuming girl. “Can I help you?” she asked, intertwining her fingers with Louis's and placing their joined hands on the table.

“No, you most certainly can not,” the girl quipped in a shrill voice that did not have the slightest trace of a Scottish accent.

“Then perhaps,” Lily began with a voice full of contempt, “you should be on your way.” She waved her hand in a shooing motion which had the blonde girl's eyes widening above her fat cheeks.

Louis smirked and leaned back in his seat.

“I don't have time for silly little girls like you,” the blonde sneered.

“Certainly,” said Lily with an evil glint in her eye that her brothers had learned to fear, “just like we don't have time for hefty snobs such as you.”

James let out a loud laugh and the blonde turned around, looking down her nose at him. “You should do something about that horrid hair of yours,” she sneered.

“Bitch!” Ivy exclaimed just as James let out an indignant: “Hey!”

Louis who was taking immense pleasure in the drama unfolding in front of him finally looked up at the blonde and flashed her a smile. “Can _I_ help you?”

She turned back around to him and a blush began to creep up her short fat neck and onto her chubby cheeks. “Yes,” she replied in an even shriller voice than before. “I wanted to invite you to come out with me and my friends to this club called Mood.”

Ivy snorted quietly and James looked down at her, raising one questioning eyebrow. “I hate that place,” she mumbled.

Louis began to toy with a piece of Lily's hair again as he contemplated his answer. “Sorry, but I'll have to pass.”

The blonde remained where she was. Her eyes flashed as she wrung her chubby hands which was how Lily took notice of the napkin she was holding on to. “What have you got there?” 

The blonde ignored her but she smoothed out the napkin as she took a step closer to Louis, holding it out to him; from where he was seated James could see that she had scribbled something on it in an extravagant handwriting.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” asked Louis, waving it in the air.

The blonde smiled. “Ring me of course,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “when you tire of this lot,” she said looking down at Albus, James, Lily and Ivy.

“ _Fat_ chance,” Louis laughed rather cruelly, pulling a smirking Lily closer to him.

The girl spun around and rejoined her group of friends, all of whom surrounded her, still giggling as they demanded to know what had transpired.

“Well,” said Albus as he straightened up, “that was one of your poorer performances.”

“Shut up!” both Lily and Louis said in unison.

“Oh, I dunno Al,” Ivy interjected. “I quite liked watching her fume.”

“Yeah,” James agreed, “I was waiting to see which shade of red she would turn into next.”

* * *

 It was only when they all had begun to trudge back towards Ivy's home that James remembered that there had been something scribbled onto the napkin.

“Hey, Louis,” he called out to his cousin, who was walking a few paces ahead of him next to Albus. “What was written on that napkin you got?”

Louis stopped and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. “Dunno,” he said, tossing it to James. “Do me a favour and throw it in that bin over there.”

But James wasn't listening instead he stared down at the paper with his mouth agape. “No way!” he breathed excitedly.

“What? What is it?” Ivy asked as she tried to catch a glimpse of it.

James chuckled. “Oh, this is gold!”

“Let me see!” demanded Lily.

James handed her the napkin and they all watched as her eyes widened in disbelief. “No!”

Albus pulled it out of her grasp and held it so that Louis, Ivy and he could all see the number that was written on it but it was the name above it that had captured all of their attention.

 

_Cecily Dursley_

 

Ivy who had heard all about her boyfriend's father's family stared down at the name in amazement. “You don't think...”

“Of course it is!” Lily interrupted. She turned to Louis, grinning. “You have to ring her!”

“Yeah!” James agreed, bouncing with excitement. “This is going to be amazing!”

Louis shrugged, not nearly as excited by the thought. “I don't have one of those... whatever they're called.”

James sobered up slightly. “Fuck, I forgot about that... well we need to get one then, how hard can it be? _What?_ ” he asked as Albus and Ivy shook their heads at him.

“James,” Ivy said, highly amused, “I'm a Muggle-born... which means I've got a mobile phone.” She waved it in front of him.

James didn't waste a second. “Give it here!”

He ripped it out of her hand and dragged Louis to the end of the street with Lily follow them eagerly.

“How long do you think it takes until they realise they don't know how to use it?” Albus asked Ivy, watching as the other three prodded at the phone experimentally.

“Oh about five seconds,” replied Ivy just as James shouted:

“Babe, how do you use this thing?!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second disclaimer: I do not own the song Do the hippogriff
> 
> Fun fact for those who care, the part where the cashier said "You've never had a mars bar?" happened to one of the girls that I was with.


	8. Two Slytherins in Gryffindor Colours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT!
> 
> I have decided to write one more chapter (besides this one) for this story and because of that I have also decided to post this as a chapter, even though it was originally written as a spinoff to chapter seven awhile back. My reason for doing this (even though the Dursley's won't be in) is because I wanted to give you a better understanding of Lily and Louis's characters.
> 
> There is a six year age gap between Louis and Lily.
> 
> This chapter is only connected to chapters 6 and 7.

It was expected of Lily Potter to become a Gryffindor. Her grandparents, parents and brothers had all been in or were in Gryffindor, so naturally Lily would be as well.

It should have been a quick sorting, an easy choice, there was nothing for the Sorting Hat to contemplate, but it hadn't been... The Hat had taken a long time before sorting her, Hagrid had even recalled that her father's sorting had not taken as long.

In the end the Sorting Hat had cried out "Gryffindor!" and through the cheers she could hear the distinct whoops of her brothers as she slipped off of the stool and made her way over to them with a broad grin.

It had been an obvious choice, that is what everyone had said. What they didn't know was that the Hat hadn't quite know what to make of her.

"Potter, eh?" a small and raspy voice had whispered in Lily's ear as she blinked at the dark fabric. "You're different from the others... oh you have the bravery, there is no doubt about that. And there is passion as well, the same passion as the woman whose name you bear."

Lily's hands remained perfectly still in her lap.

"I wonder," the voice mused, "yes, I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" thought Lily, who by now was beginning to grow annoyed with the Hat's evasiveness.

It chuckled quietly. "Impatient little thing, are you? You would do well in Gryffindor, yes there is no doubt about that... but there is a cunningness to you, a trait that is often associated with another House."

"Go on then," thought Lily defiantly, "put my in Slytherin.  _I dare you._ "

The Sorting Hat chuckled and its raspy voice scratched at her ears. "You remind me of another... a Weasley that one. He too would have done well in Slytherin."

An image of young boy shimmering blond hair, cerulean eyes and chiseled features flashed in Lily's mind and she instantly recognised him.

"Gryffindor!"

* * *

Two years would pass before she would bring up the subject on clear summer's day underneath the shadow of an old oak tree.

"So," she said from her spot on the grass as she allowed her gaze to wander from the trees thick branches to the young man who was leaning against the tree's trunk, "Slytherin, huh?"  
He raised one blond eyebrow at her.

Lily smirked and averted her eyes, watching as the leaves above her danced on a warm summer breeze. "Apparently I'm too cunning for your regular Gryffindor."

Louis scoffed. "I think the whole family can validate that."

Lily raised one of her legs that she had been resting across his lap and swatted her bare foot against his chest. "Don't be stupid, the whole school could verify it as well."

Louis threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. "Yes, I suppose they can."

"So how come you ended up in Gryffindor then?" Lily asked curiously.

He grinned at her, flashing his perfectly straight and white teeth. "Because I dared it to put me in Slytherin."

Lily spends more time with Louis than with her brothers. She loves James and Albus fiercely but they're her brothers and they all need their space, otherwise as their father has pointed out on several occasions they would they would end up demolishing the entire house. She prefers Louis company over her friends, they get on her nerves too easily at times, Louis doesn't. They understand each other, and they both share the same dark humour which is not appreciated by their grandmother.

* * *

Lily still remembers with clarity that scandalizing article written about them in the Daily Prophet underneath a photo of the two of them stumbling down a street heavily intoxicated, laughing with their arms around each other.

Lily had thought their grandmother would pop the vein that had appeared by the temple as she bristled angrily at the two of them.

" _Too Close for Family_!" She had exclaimed furiously as she read the headline. "Inside source spills the beans."

Louis - who was not bothered in the slightest by this - leaned back in his chair with a tired yawn.

Lily on the other hand leaned over the table to get a better look at the photograph. "That is not a flattering photo of me," she grimaced as she watched herself stumble on thin air.

"Lily!"

"What?"

"This is not a laughing matter young lady!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed angrily.

Lily shrugged. "Oh I think it's hilarious." Her brown eyes glazed over she peered out the window. "I wonder who the source is..."

"Probably that idiotic friend of yours," said Louis but he didn't elaborate, shooting their grandmother a quick glance.

"Don't you dare encourage her, Louis Weasley!" warned Mrs Weasley, who was now breathing hard. Strands of grey hair had was escaping its bun as she glared down at her grandson. "You are twenty-one years old, you should know better!"

Louis rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his coffee while Lily continued to muse silently about Grace.

"She has always had a crush on you, you know."

"Naturally."

Lily's eyes lit up with excitement as she shoved a large piece of toast into her mouth. "So we'll use that against her," she said around mouthful.

Mrs Weasley slammed down a pot of porridge onto the table. "You will do no such thing!"

Lily blinked once before widening her brown eyes as she stared up at her grandmother with a baffled expression. "But Nan, she is spreading vile rumours about us..."

Louis who had raised his cups to his lips quickly set it back down, opting not to drink as he watched their grandmother at a loss for words before she launched into another long lecture about rising above others. He caught Lily's eye and she smirked down into her glass of orange juice.

* * *

It is always the two of them; Louis and Lily, Lily and Louis. Where one is the other one is not far behind, it had always been like that, ever since Lily was a toddler. Countless of times the little girl had disappeared which had caused the whole family to ensemble into a giant search party which would end with them finding Lily curled up next to Louis underneath their grandfather's desk asleep, or playing Knock Out the Garden Gnome with him in a secluded part of the garden. Eventually the family had learned not to worry when Lily disappeared, knowing that once Louis turned up, Lily would as well.

None of the other cousins' bonds came close to rival their, with the exception of James and Fred, but even they were nowhere near as close as the other two.

Ginny would simply laugh at this and say that they reminded her of Fred and George, with a fond smile.

It comes as no surprise when Lily decides to move into Louis shabby London apartment once she has finished school. Almost every family member had been expecting it. There had been some angry grumbles from their grandmother about Louis not being a good enough influence on Lily, even though she secretly preferred it that way, fully aware of the amounts of trouble Lily would get herself into if she lived alone.

They had always been the most talked about topic in the press – their only rival being Harry himself – and once Lily had moved into Louis apartment the articles about them had tripled every single one scrutinised their relationship, twisting and turning it, tearing it down and building it up, but they never cared, after all Albus had always said they thrived on the drama they created.


End file.
